Together: Past, Present and Forever
by Leina
Summary: Zidane and Dagger are soul mates. In present times, fate has once again played a role in bringing them to meet. Question is, will they still feel the same way? [Discontinued]
1. Together: Past, Present and Forvever I

Hey! It's me! Alrite, I am sorry dat i disappeared (yet again) for a while. ~_^ But this time it ain't *completely* my fault since fanfiction has been down! HAH! Well this is my first Final Fantasy IX fic and basically wut it's about is if Zidane and Dagger lived in our present time, instead of the past. There are other "reincaranactions" of other Final Fantasy IX characters too, try 'n guess who they r!. Neway, happy readin!  
  
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Together: Past, Present and Forever-Chapter 1  
  
~*Past*~  
  
"We'll always be together..." smiled Dagger, as she looked deep into her loved-one's crystal blue eyes.  
  
"Forever..." smiled Zidane as he leaned closer and kissed the girl of his dreams.   
  
The crowd around them were clapping and cheering endlessly, but all that mattered to Zidane and Dagger was that they were finally together and that's the way it always would be...forever. As the kiss drew to an end, Dagger gazed into Zidane's eyes and smiled.  
  
"Do you promise we'll always be together?" she asked, hugging him tightly.  
  
Zidane stroked her hair reassuringly, "even in a different life time, I promise you that my soul will always find yours."  
  
Dagger smiled and rested her head on his chest.  
  
~*Present Day: Garnett Mansion (France)*~  
  
"Rise and shine princess!" smiled Belle as she opened the long, dark green curtains, letting in a pool of sunlight onto a matching green bed.   
  
"Uh..." groaned a muffled voice under the silk green covers.  
  
Belle rolled her eyes as she marched over to the bed. She yanked away the covers revealing a young teenage girl with very dark chesnut hair and matching eyes. The young lady grabbed a nearby pillow hastly and planted it over her head, as the sunlight washed over her youthful face.   
  
"Your majesty! It's time for you to wake up," Belle shook the grumpy teenager lightly on the shoulder.  
  
"Uh…" she grunted again, "Okay, okay...I'm up."   
  
She opened her eyes groggily and squinted at the bright sunlight. She put her hand in front of her face, using its shadow to cover her eyes, as she dragged herself out of the bed. She let her back face the window as she let out a yawn and stretched .   
  
"So," began the young lady, "what are we doing today?"  
  
"Have you forgotten already?" grinned Belle. "It's all you've been talking about for the last 2 weeks. Your friend is arriving today."  
  
"OH YAH!" she grinned gleefully as she jumped off her bed. "Oh my gosh! I have to get ready!"  
  
The teenager slipped into her green, soft, fuzzy slippers and ran out the door. Belle smiled as she watched her young mistress disappear in the long hallway.   
  
Alex smiled as she brushed her teeth in the bathroom.   
  
The bathroom was very grand and beautiful. The floor was made of white marble and the walls were covered with angels that seemed to dance around. The tall glass mirror was surrounded by light bulbs like those in dance change rooms and the two sinks both had shiny, silver faucets. The counter was wonderfully decorated with rose petals of all different colours and there was a magnificent circular rug in the middle of the bathroom that was also garlanded with angels. To top it all off, there was a colossal, white bathtub on the opposite end of the door.   
  
Alex beamed at her reflection in the lovely mirror. She was so excited! She's been waiting for two weeks for Eve to come.   
  
Eve was her mom's best friend's daughter and they've known each other for as long as she could remember. Eve used to live in France too, but her father's new job caused her family to move to Miami, Florida a year ago. Since Alex's parents were going to be away for the whole summer due to royalty related business, they decided to invite Eve to stay with Alex while they're gone.   
  
Alex quickly finished up in the bathroom and ran out back to her bedroom to find something to wear.  
  
"Hey Dagger!" yelled a voice from downstairs.   
  
Alex instinctively recognized that voice belonging her cousin, Blade. He was also the only person she knew that called her by her middle name. 'Dagger' was one of the many nicknames he had for her; he usually called her Lexi though.   
  
"What do you want Blade?" she yelled back.  
  
"I'm going to the airport to pick up my bud!" he replied, opening the front door.  
  
'Okay! Seeya later then! And don't get into any car accidents!" she shouted after him playfully.  
  
"I wont!" he replied, closing the door, "hopefully," he added aloud with a smirk.   
  
~*1 hour later*~  
  
"SIR! Why are you not letting me in??" exclaimed Eve as she stood outside the mansion gates.   
  
"That is Monsieur Sterive to you, young Mademoiselle," replied the man in a heavy French accent. "The Princess of La Rochelle is not someone who anyone can zee. Maintenant, laissez sil vous-plâit (Now, please leave)."   
  
Eve let out an exasperated sigh as she stared at the man.   
  
He wore a fancy black and white tuxedo. His French tie looked a bit too tight and his matching French collar seemed to be a bit too big. He had dark brown hair that was neatly combed back and his oval-shaped face had a very serious and professional look to it. His large, dark, brown eyes had a critical feature matching his long, straight nose.   
  
"Now don't just stare at me all day young Mademoiselle, allez (go)!" he ordered.   
  
"But the princess is expecting me," she responded with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.   
  
"The only person the princess is expecting is a Mademoiselle…"  
His voice trailed off as he looked through a black, leather-covered book.   
  
"Ah! There, a Mademoiselle-"  
  
"Eve," she interrupted.  
  
Sterive blinked a few times to make sure what he read was clear, "Er…can you please spell 'Eve'?"  
  
Eve rolled her eyes as she spelled her name.   
  
"Ah…well then, je suis très desole (I'm very sorry) for the mix up," he apologized.  
  
Eve let out a soft giggle. "Don't worry about it, Monsieur Sterive. May I please enter now?"  
  
"Oui (yes)! Of course," he bowed as he opened the large, silver gates.  
  
Eve smiled as she walked through the gates. She looked up at her friend's home and felt a warm breeze blow across her neck.  
  
'It's just how I remember it,' she thought to herself.  
  
Most of the property was covered with plant life. Alex's parents truly adored the beauty of nature. There were trees everywhere, all different kinds actually. There were even fruit trees such as apple and cherry trees. Flowerbeds were all over the place. The beautiful scents of different flowers made a perceptible aroma in the air. There were gorgeous rose bushes, lily beds, daisies, blue bells, orchids and so many more. It was like a gardener's paradise.  
  
In the middle on the property was a white painted water fountain and crystal clear water flowing through it. Inside the fountain were dark green leaves floating on the glass-like water. The mansion was a site itself too. It's grand glass windows and green window borders looked stunning with a matching green roof. In addition, there were gorgeous vines growing playfully along the walls.   
  
Eve smiled as the flowers' aromas entered her nose. Sterive picked up her bags and led the way to the front, green door. Eve followed, still admiring her surroundings at the same time.   
  
Ding Dong!  
  
"Oh my gosh, she's here!" squealed Alex as she quickly ran out of the kitchen towards the front door.   
  
Alex nearly fell over as she scrambled to the door.   
  
"Princess Alexandra! Be careful!" Belle called after her.   
  
"There's no time to be careful!" smiled Alex as she finally reached the door. She brushed her short, dark hair away from her face as she slowly reached for the doorknob.   
  
"ALEX!!" squealed Eve as she saw her friend's face while she opened the door.   
  
"EVE!!" Alex yelled back as she took her friend into a tight embrace. "I missed you so much! I'm so glad you're here!"  
  
"Me too," Eve smiled back, "We're gonna have the best summer!!"  
  
"Yep! Now that you're here," exclaimed Alex.   
  
"I hate to interrupt this little reunion, but may I suggest that we show Mademoiselle Eve to her bedroom?" suggested Sterive.   
  
"Oh yah!" giggled Alex, "where are my manners? Follow me, *mademoiselle*."  
  
Alex made sure to do an extremely heavy French accent when she said 'mademoiselle' just like Sterive does. Eve laughed quietly at her silly friend. Eve happily followed Alex up the grand staircase that spiralled up to the second floor.   
  
~*Le Traporte Airport*~  
  
"Yo Zidane!" waved Blade as he saw his friend come out of the airport doors.  
  
A young man with blonde hair gave Blade a sharp, irritated look as he heard the name 'Zidane' called out. Blade muffled a laugh as his friend walked up to him.  
  
"Didn't I tell you not to call me by my first name?" he asked as he raised a fist.  
  
"Whoa! I'm sorry! Just don't hurt me, please!" he replied, pretending to be scared.   
  
The two of them broke into laughter, "Man, you better not talk like that or all the chicks will think you're a wimp."  
  
"Me?!?! A wimp?!?! NO WAY!! I can take you down anytime, anywhere." Blade looked at his friend with fiery eyes as he gave him a slight push, "wanna make something out of this?? Huh?? Punk???"  
  
The blonde eyed his friend and grinned at him mischievously.   
  
"Naw," he shook his head, "I'm not gonna make a scene here."  
  
"Oh what??" Blade taunted as he pushed him again, slightly harder. "You're nothing but a wimp. Afraid to take me on, *Zidane*?"   
  
Blade made sure that he emphasized 'Zidane'. He knew how to stir things up with his friend. And he did a perfect job in doing so too because the next thing he knew, his friend had swift his leg under his feet and he was left lying flat on his back.  
  
"Now didn't I tell you not to call me that?" his friend smirked, looking down on him.   
  
Blade grunted as he got up, "Yah, you did."  
  
The two of them then began a face-off in a staring contest, both of them giving each other their most coldest, dirtiest look. It lasted for about two minutes before Blade burst into laughter, who was then joined by his friend a second later.   
  
"Okay Carter," began Blade as he regained himself, "We gotta get going."  
  
Carter nodded in agreement and picked up one of his two large, black duffel bags, while Bade grabbed the other. The two of them walked out of the airport and Blade headed towards a shiny, silver BMW. Blade could see Carter's expression as he caught a glimpse of his new car.   
  
"Nice wheels," he commented.  
  
"My aunt got it for me when I moved up here," explained Blade.  
  
Carter nodded and threw his bag into the trunk. Blade did the same and jumped into the driver's seat with Carter sitting next to him.   
  
Blade has just moved to France in March. He was originally from New York, but his parents didn't like the environment he was living in. Since they had stable jobs and couldn't move anywhere else, his mother talked with her sister and her family and arranged for Blade to stay with them until he graduated. After that, they'd decide on the plan of action on where he'd go for college.  
  
"So how's it like living with royalty?" asked Carter, breaking the silence.  
  
"Eh, not bad," he shrugged, "My cuz is pretty cool."   
  
It was silent again. Carter was spending the summer with his crazed friend. Blade had convinced his aunt and uncle that it just wouldn't be fair if Alex had a friend over and he didn't. So, they agreed that he could have a friend over too. That 'friend' ended up being Carter who lived in Blade's previous neighbourhood back in New York.  
  
"We're here," announced Carter as he drove up to a gate. He went by an intercom where a keyhole was located. He swiftly took a silver key out and slid it into the intercom, which automatically caused the gates to open. He quickly drove in and parked his car.   
  
~*Inside the Garnet Mansion*~  
  
Eve sat quietly in the living room. Alex had told her to go wait downstairs as soon as she realized that the guest room was a complete and total wreck. She had forgotten to clean it up the night before when she decided to that she just *had* to find her favourite red top, which was located in the spare bedroom closet since the ones in her room where all full.   
  
Ding! Dong!   
  
"Eve!" called out Alex from upstairs, "Can you get that?"  
  
"Sure!" she yelled back as she headed towards the door.   
  
She opened the huge, green door, coming face to face with a young man. She stared at him. He stared at her. They both stood there like statues. Eve tried to open her mouth to say something, but was unable to form any words. All she could do was stare at the young man.  
  
He had fiery, dark, red hair that was gelled up which looked like fire itself. His deep, jade eyes had a mischievous spark to them, and his smile created a sense of excitement. He had dark shades lying on his crimson hair and a matching, sleeveless, black shirt. His dark, baggy, blue jeans were just beneath his waist, revealing the crest of his Tommy Hilfiger boxers.   
  
"H-Hi," Eve finally managed to sputter out, "You must be Blade, Alex's cousin?"  
  
"Oh yah," he replied coolly, quickly stepping out of daze, "Blade, that's me! And you're…Rêve, am I right?"  
  
"Rêve is my full name," she smiled, "just call me Eve."  
  
"Anything for a cute girl," he smiled back.  
  
Eve flushed a bit.  
  
"Yo Blade!" yelled a voice from outside, "are you gonna help me or what?"  
  
"Be right there!" he yelled back, "I'll see you later," he grinned at her as he went down the stairs.   
  
Eve just stared after him.  
  
"I see you've met my cousin," said a voice behind her amusingly.   
  
Eve whirled around to face Alex.   
  
"And I see that you like him too," she added with a wink.  
  
"I-I do not!" she protested.  
  
Alex burst into giggles and hugged her friend, "don't worry, I'll keep quiet about this."  
  
Eve sighed and muttered a thank you to her friend. Just then, a black, duffel bag flew through the door and landed with a 'thud' on the floor, just in front of the two girls. Alex bent down curiously and gripped the tag.  
  
"Carter Trybal," she read aloud. She looked over her shoulder at Eve, who seemed to be deep in thought, "Eve?"  
  
"Carter Trybal..." she whispered thoughtfully, "that name sounds so familiar..."  
  
"Hey guys!" smiled Blade, as he walked in, "Oops...I mean girls."  
  
"Think fast!" yelled a voice from outside.  
  
Blade swiftly spun around, just in time to catch another black duffel bag. The force and the weight of it nearly caused him to fall backwards. He quickly regained his balance and a smile formed on his face. He cleared his throat and stood up proficiently like Sterive does.   
  
"Ahem! Lexi, Eve, I'd like you to meet my friend, Carter," introduced Blade graciously.  
  
Alex looked up at the open door and a young man stepped in.   
  
He had wild, blonde hair that fell just below his ears. His eyes seem to sparkle like sapphire with a hint of emerald; and his smile held a touch of cockiness, but still remained honest and true. He wore a blue, collared shirt with a few silver buttons down his chest with a white sleeveless top underneath and black, baggy pants, finishing his ensemble.  
  
Alex gazed at the blonde curiously. She had a feeling of recognition as she saw him smile that cocky smile of his. Just the way he stood by the door, so cool and confident, it all seemed so familiar to her.  
  
'Why do I feel like I know him?' she asked herself. 'I've never met him before...'  
  
"IT'S YOU!!" yelled Eve, interrupting Alex's thoughts.   
  
"And you..." grinned Carter, looking her up and down.   
  
Blade gave him a dirty look, but he didn't seem to notice.   
  
"You guys...uh...know eachother?" questioned Blade.  
  
Eve nodded, eyeing Carter at the same time.   
  
"He went to Miama for vacation during Christmas," she began, "His hotel happened to be pretty close to where my friends and I live. We met him on the beach...and fine, I'll admit, he was looking pretty good."  
  
Carter smiled that cocky smile of his again and ran his hand through his blonde hair.   
  
"Anyway, my friends were dying to talk to him, so we did. I remember how he flirted with all of them...leading all of them on...going on dates with one in the afternoon and another at night."  
  
"Hey!" interrupted Carter, "you make me sound like a bad guy...it's not like I was a pla-"  
  
"Dude," broke in Blade, "you *are* a player."  
  
Carter made a sour face, "ok, ok! Maybe I *am* a player, but I'm a good player!"  
  
"He asked me out," continued Eve, "but i said 'no' because I knew about his reputation."  
  
"Look," began Carter, "I'm sorry about that whole thing, but can we just put that behind us? Afterall, we're gonna be stuck in the same house all summer."  
  
Eve sighed and nodded, "Yah, okay, but I still think you're a playing flirt...no offense."   
  
Carter smiled proudly, "none taken."  
  
"Anyway, Carter, I'll show you to your room, okay?" asked Blade.   
  
Carter nodded and picked up his black bag while Blade grabbed the other. The two of them soon disappeared up the spiral staircase.  
  
"That guy is *such* a player," repated Eve, rolling her eyes..   
  
Alex stared up at the spiral staircase, still thinking. The whole scene about Carter being a player seemed so familiar too.  
  
'Why do I feel like I know him from somewhere?' she thought to herself.  
  
"I'm gonna go upstairs and unpack my stuff," announced Eve, "wanna come?"  
  
"Sure," nodded Alex absent-mindedly.  
  
The two of them then headed upstairs, where the guys where.   
  
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So how wuz dat? I know it's not my best work, but i was jus DDYYIINN to write a fic w/ Zidane and Dagger in *our* time; it's easier to relate ~_^ Oh yah! Did u guess who the other characters were? I'll give u a clue! Their "present" names starts w/ the same letter as their "past" names, LoL. Well, back to writin, ciao! 


	2. Together: Past, Present and Forever II

Together: Past, Present and Forever II  
  
~*Eve's Room*~  
  
"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Alex. "I *love* this top! Can I borrow it sometime?"  
  
"Of course!" Eve smiled, as she watched her friend fiddle with the top.  
  
It was a sleeveless white tank top with a picture of a small, shiny, red rose on the right.  
  
"So what are we doing today?" asked Eve, as she took out the 8th pair of shorts from her bag.  
  
Alex looked over her shoulder, "I'm not too sure...you decide! You're the guest and how in the world can you fit all that in your bag?"   
  
"I'm a really good packer," she winked.  
  
Alex let out a giggle and began dancing around the room. She twirled like a ballerina and did dance moves from the year 2000 all the way back to the 70's. Eve burst into laughter as she watched her friend dance her heart out; she threw the shirt she was holding onto bed and joined her friend. They danced the dosey-doe and then began to do the "Titanic" spin. Eve felt herself getting dizzy and the next thing you know, she accidentally lets go of Alex' hands and the two of them fly to opposite ends of the room. Eve continued to laugh as she lay down on the bed where she landed, while Alex rubbed her head on the spot where it hit the wall.   
  
"Now that was a bit painful," she grinned, still massaging her skull.   
  
"You were the one who began this dancing parade in the first place," Eve grinned back.   
  
Alex scoffed and pulled herself back on her feet. "So how do you like this summer so far?"   
  
"It's only been less than 10 minutes, but it's really rocks!" she replied with a smile.   
  
"Yah..." smirked Alex, "especially with my cousin here and all, right?"  
  
"Oh be quiet," she blushed.   
  
Alex smiled and ran a brush through her dark, silky, hair.   
  
Alex was a carefree and playful young lady. She loved to have fun, but she still knew where her limitations were. She cared very much for her friends and family and always did her best to help others. She may be a princess, but she wasn't a spoiled brat. Her being part of Royalty never got in the way of how she acted around other people. To her and her close friends, she would always just be a regular teenager.   
  
"So what do you think of Carter?" Eve asked curiously.  
  
"Don't even *think* about it Missy,"  
  
"Oh come on!" she exclaimed, jumping on the bed, "you don't even think he's a *little* cute?"  
  
"Well..." began Alex, looking at the floor, " maybe a *llliiittttttllleee* bit."  
  
"AHA! I knew it! How about if you, Blade, Carter and I go on a da-"  
  
"N-n-n-n-no!!!"  
  
"But why not?? We'll have a blast! Imagine living in the same house with your boyfriend! A lot of girls would *kill* for that!"  
  
"Not if he was cheating on you!" she shot back. "You even said so yourself, he's a player; I don't go for players."  
  
"Oh what do I know?! Your cousin seems to think he's a good guy!"  
  
"My cousin is weird."  
  
"Your cousin is hott!"  
  
"............"   
  
Eve bit her bottom lip and let out a nervous laugh, "Sorry bout that, I guess that sounded kinda weird to you, huh?"  
  
Alex raised an eyebrow and nodded vigorously. Eve opened her mouth to let out another apology, when there was a knock at the door. The two girls turned around in time to see the door open.  
  
"Girls, lunch is almost ready," announced Belle.  
  
"Alright Belle," responded Alex, "we'll be down in just a few more minutes."  
  
Belle smiled and nodded as she closed the door.  
  
"Okay then," began Alex as she turned back to her friend, "we gotta get one thing straight. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT *EVER*EVER* mention Blade being 'hott' to me *EVER AGAIN*, capiche?"  
  
"D'accord! Je comprende, mon amie, (Okay! I understand, my friend)" she answered.  
  
"Okie dokey then!" gleamed Alex. "Let's go have some lunch."  
  
Alex quickly turned her back, ran to the door, opened it, and dashed off in a wink of an eye. Eve stared after her friend and rolled her eyes.  
  
'Good gosh,' Eve thought to herself as she let out a sigh. 'That girl has *got* to be one of my most craziest friends.'  
  
Eve giggled softly as she headed for the door and into the hallway to join Alex and the rest downstairs.  
  
~*Carter's Room*~  
  
"Geez Carter, hurry up and finish packing! I'm *DDYYIINNGG* for some food!" complained Blade in a whiny voice.  
  
"Food is for the weak," retorted Carter with a grin, "are you saying that you're weak?"  
  
Blade glared at his friend and responded in an annoyed tone, "food is also what keeps as alive. C'mon dude, just hurry it up!!!"  
  
"Gawd, do you not have patience??"   
  
"NNOO!!! Not when I'm starving to death!"  
  
Carter groaned as he took out the last piece of clothing from his bag.   
  
"There, I'm done, happy now?"  
  
A wide grin spread across Blade's face as he walked towards the door, "actually, yes. Now, can we please go?"  
  
"Yah, yah, yah," replied Carter as he followed his redheaded friend into the hall.  
  
As they became nearer to the stairs, Carter came to a halt.  
  
"What are you doing man? You're not a statue, c'mon!"  
  
"I...forgot something."  
  
"What!??!?!" exclaimed Blade. "Damn! ...... just hurry up!"  
  
A guilty look crossed the blonde's face and he said, "look, you just go downstairs since you're *dying* without any food. I'll be down in a sec."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"What am I? A 3-year-old? I don't need a baby-sitter. Go on man, it's not like there are ghosts in this house."  
  
Blade grinned and nodded, "Okay, but seriously, HURRY UP; I don't wanna be stuck down there with all that girl talk."  
  
"I will. Anyway, if worse comes to serve, you can just stare at Eve," he smirked.  
  
"You dare breath a word about that and I will kill you," threatened his friend.  
  
Carter laughed and nodded, "Whatever you say man."  
  
"I'm serious."  
  
"So am I. Now, stop stalling me and go downstairs."  
  
"You're one weird dude, man," commented Blade as he began to descend down the stairs.   
  
Carter leered as he headed back to his room. He slowly turned the knob and walked in. He went over to his backpack and unzipped it. Slowly, he pulled out a silver chain; on the silver chain hung a word also in silver that said, 'virtù' which meant virtue in Italian. Carter clasped the chain in his fist and held it close to his chest. His older brother, Kevin, gave this chain to him...right before he died.   
  
~*Flashback: 6 years ago*~  
  
A 9-year-old Carter cried softly in his father's shirt; his younger sister Maria crying too. The 3 of them waited hopefully and patiently in the lobby of St. Andrews Hospital in New York. Carter clenched his fist as a million thoughts ran through his young mind.   
  
'Why is this happening? Mommy died a long time ago...is Kevin gonna die too? Who's gonna b next? Is it me? Is it Maria? Is it dad? This just isn't fair!'  
  
A young nurse with light brown hair came through the hallway and began to approach the small family. Carter's dad slowly got up and told Carter and Maria to wait for a second while he talked to the nurse. The two of them listened obediently and nodded. Carter watched as his dad as the nurse began to talk.  
  
'Why does daddy look so sad?' he thought to himself. 'Why is he crying?'  
  
Mr. Trybal finished talking to the nurse and walked back sadly to his children.   
  
"What's wrong daddy?" asked Maria in a small, fragile voice. "When is Kevin coming home?"  
  
A agonizing expression materialized on his face, "he's not sweety."  
  
"What do you mean he's not?" she asked in a scared tone.  
  
"The nurse told me that..." he stopped as an overwhelming pain washed over him, "she told me that...that...well honey, you see, Kevin is going to be with your mother soon..."  
  
Carter choked back his tears as he heard those words leave from his father's mouth. 'No! Why is everyone leaving? I just want my family back!"  
  
Tears began to stream uncontrollably down Maria's cheeks.   
  
"Come on kids," their father said warmly, "the nurse said that we can go see him."  
  
The two young children nodded and as their hearts throbbed with anguish, they followed their father. Carter entered the white hospital room and his eyes frantically searched for his brother.   
  
"There..." he whispered to himself.  
  
Carter saw him lying down in a white hospital bed, his features twisted in pain. The 3 of them quickly arrived by his bedside.   
  
"Son..." began Mr. Trybal.  
  
"Don't say anything dad..." Kevin choked out, " you were right...I should've listened to you...I'm sorry."   
  
Mr. Trybal began to open his mouth again, but closed it and embraced his son tightly. He just couldn't believe that he had to watch another member of his family die once again. The embrace ended, and Mr. Trybal simply observed his son intently, as is he was memorizing his every feature.  
  
"Kevi," began Maria, her voice filled with innocence, "Are you sure you can't stay?"  
  
Kevin smiled whole-heartedly at his little sister, "I wish I could, but I can't...I'll tell you what though, I'll always be watching over you with mom, okay?"  
  
Maria smiled back, "Okay, I'll still miss you though."  
  
"Me too squirt..."   
  
Maria broke into tears again and hugged her brother as tight as she could, "I'm gonna talk to you every night like I do with mom," she whispered in his ear.  
  
The hug ended and Kevin grinned, "I'll be listening."  
  
Kevin then turned to Carter, who looked at him with a dark pools of sadness in his eyes.  
  
"Hey there little bro...you're gonna have to take care of you little sister now, alright?"  
  
Carter nodded, unable to speak.  
  
Kevin struggled as he reached for something around his neck and pulled it over his head.   
  
"Here."  
  
Carter looked into his brother's open palm at the precious silver chain that their mother had given to him a long time ago.  
  
"Mom always believed in virtues...I guess I didn't follow them too well, huh? I want you to have it Carter; I know you won't let mom down...or me either."  
  
Carter took the silver chain into his small hands and put it on his neck carefully. "I won't Kevin, I promise."   
  
Kevin nodded and smiled as his brother leaned down and gave him a final embrace. Carter held on for as long as he could. He was about to lose his brother...the one he looked up to, the one who taught him how to ride a bike, the one who got him out of trouble, the one who always encouraged him.   
  
The embrace ended all too soon and with that, Kevin took a deep breath and said, "I love you guys."  
  
The three of them, still hoping that this is all a bad dream, held his hand tightly and whispered back, "we love you too."  
  
With one last smile, Kevin closed his eyes and left this world. Maria cried even harder as her father tried to comfort her. Carter watched his brother; his feelings erupting with an unknown sadness to him. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the chain as a single tear rolled down his cheek.   
  
'He's gone...he's really gone...'  
  
~*End of Flashback*~  
  
Carter shook his head forcefully, breaking him out of his trance. He sighed quietly as he put the chain over his head and tucked it underneath his shirt. With that, he quickly exited the room and ran downstairs to the dining room.   
  
~*In the Dining Room*~  
  
"Are you crazy Lexi?!?!" exclaimed Blade as a few bits of his croissant flew out of his mouth. "You seriously want us to go camping tonight?? And where exactly are we going??"  
  
"The forest by the Bay of Biscay! I even already asked Belle and Sterive if we can go and they said 'yes'!" she grinned happily.   
  
"WHAT!??! That's it, you *are* insane," he announced. "It would take us hours and hours to walk there!"  
  
Alex let out a sigh of exasperation, "you are quite dense; did you know that?"  
  
"Dense and proud!" he grinned arrogantly.  
  
Alex shot a quick glance at Eve, who was giggling at Blade.   
  
'Gosh,' she thought to herself, 'how in the world can she think he's funny? Wait a minute, how in the world can she just like him in the first place? Geez, she sure's got weird taste in guys!'  
  
"I know that it takes hours to walk there, but it only takes half an hour to get there with a car," she stated confidently.   
  
"Still, Lex, isn't going in the woods to sleep in kind of…primitive and childish?"   
  
"OoOoOo! *Primitive*, did you look that up in a thesaurus?" she teased as she ate another slice of pizza   
  
Blade gave his cousin an evil glare and stuffed another croissant into his mouth.   
  
"He probably did," said a voice from the hall.  
  
Thee 3 of them looked towards the entrance of the dining room and there stood Carter with that impish grin of his.   
  
"Shut up man," warned Blade.  
  
Carter smiled and began towards an empty seat beside Blade. He sat down coolly and said to Alex, who was sitting right across from him, "I heard you guys talking about camping tonight. It sounds pretty good to me, but I don't think we should go because poor Blade here is afraid of the dark."  
  
"NO I'M NOT!!!!" he protested, "I got over that last year!!!!"  
  
Eve looked at Blade in amazement and asked, "You didn't get over your fear over the dark till you were 15?"  
  
He turned his head to meet her eyes; he began to blush, "I guess not…"  
  
She smiled at him, "don't feel bad, even today, I'm still scared of the dark."  
  
He grinned back at her and the two of them just stared at each other for a few seconds.   
  
"ANYWAY," began Alex as loud as she could, "are you coming camping or what?"  
  
"Don't put him on the spot like that," said Carter as he raised an eyebrow, "We don't want him to pee his pants when it gets too dark at night for him there."  
  
"SHUT UP!" he snapped. "I'm not scared of nothing! C'mon! Let's go *right* now!!"  
  
"Cuz, CALM DOWN," laughed Alex. "It's not even 2 o'clock yet. We'll leave at around 5 so then we'll get there at 5:30 and we'll have time to set up and have some fun!"  
  
"Um…Alex?"  
  
"Yes Eve?"  
  
"Have you ever set up a tent before?"  
  
Alex shook her head.  
  
"Have any of you?"   
  
The two boys shook their heads too, and Eve bit her bottom lip.   
  
"How about we pack everything we need and just leave right away?" she suggested.  
  
"Why though?" asked Alex.  
  
"Because we are going to take *FOREVER* and I mean seriously *FOREVER* to set up *two* tents. I had a sleep over with my friends last year and we decided that we'd sleep in the backyard in a tent. None of us knew how to set it up and…well…put it this way, after the first 2 hours, we just got my dad to do it for us."  
  
The 3 of them looked at her vacantly.  
  
"Oooooookay then!" announced Alex, breaking the silence. "You heard what Eve said you guys, let's get packing! Oh wait a sec, Carter, you didn't get to eat lunch yet."  
  
"Oh that's okay, I'll just have a quick bite of pizza. I'm not that hungry."  
  
"Alright everyone, pack your stuff; we're going camping!"  
  
"Gawd, and just when I just finished unpacking everything," commented Carter as he rolled his eyes.   
  
The 4 teens finished up their food hastily and immediately started packing.   
  
::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*::*  
Alright, I know that sucked *criez* I seriously wanted to do a better job but its almost 12am here on a school night and I just wanna submit another chapter. I know this chapter was kind of boring, but hey! I gotta build a story line, right? Don't worry, it'll get better ^___^ PROMISE! Well, thanx for readin! 


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